Neuro Berry in a Bottle for the Win

2016-10-07

We are delighted to have been announced the Supreme Winner (Small Manufacturer) at the New Zealand Beverage Awards 2016 for our Unsweetened Blackadder Blackcurrant Juice.

This followed our win ‘Best Juice (Small Manufacturer)’ for the Unsweetened Blackadder Blackcurrant Juice too which recognises current consumer interest in no refined sugar products and functional fruit juices that deliver a health and

Barker's Unsweetened Blackadder Blackcurrant Juice is made from more than 950 squeezed Canterbury Blackadder Blackcurrants and boasts a range of healthy compounds, including massive doses of the antioxidant vitamin C – about four times more vitamin C than oranges and 16 times more than blueberries.

Blackadder Blackcurrants are a New Zealand-bred varietal and have been nicknamed a ‘Neuro Berry’ after research by New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research illustrated that the varietal improves mental performance reflected by an improved reaction time without a loss in accuracy.

Michael Barker (our Chairman) was delighted with the Supreme Award win; “It’s great to see a 100% Squeezed Blackcurrant Juice recognised for its extraordinary health benefits – so many drinks are just blackcurrant flavoured and offer no real functional health benefit, but Barker’s Unsweetened Blackcurrant is the real deal. I drink a half glass every morning as a daily health shot – it’s zingy and an acquired taste but that’s what a real blackcurrant tastes like!” he said.

The judges of the awards commented that manufacturers of some iconic brands had delivered some clever innovations in flavours this year.

This is what judge Martyn Atack (also founder of Cogito Food & Beverage) said: “We certainly observed a general trend towards clean labels, less sugar and more natural ingredients. This was clearly evident with Barker’s of Geraldine and we were impressed that the flavour of the unsweetened juice was really true to type, linked to the region and by the strong story behind the blackcurrant variety”.

The NZ Beverage Awards is run annually by the NZ Beverage Council and was created to promote high quality non-alcoholic beverages, promoting innovation and awarding manufacturing excellence, amongst many things.